(urth) More Castleview (Spoilers)

[Dan'l Danehy-Oakes]

On 6/19/07, Matthew Keeley <matthew.keeley.1 at gmail.com> wrote:

> 4. What are we to make of Excalibur's resemblance to a cross (Mercedes at
> first thinks it's a jeweled cross)?

The guard of a sword is often shaped like that, and knights (at least in
legends) would often stab the sword into the ground to get a cross to
pray by.

> 5. Also about the ending: Wolfe really seems to like the legend of the Green
> Man or Green Knight; in The Wizard Knight Able tells us that he WAS the
> Green Knight who Gawain decapitated. Maybe Wolfe is trying to take an
> essentially pagan symbol and Christianize it, as it is his wont to do? The
> Green Man could perhaps be read as a Christ figure, though so presumably
> could the king who slays him, as he too will die and rise again. A little
> earlier in the text, Phyllis Sun sees Odin leading the Wild Hunt down the
> streets of Castleview; the narrator takes pains to describe his missing eye,
> which, if I recall correctly, he gave up so that he could give knowledge to
> humanity; a Christian take on Odin seems like something Wolfe would enjoy.

I don't know much about the Green Man, but Odin gives his eye to Mimir
in payment for wisdom, not so he can give his wisdom away. He is looking
for a way to avert Ragnarok.

-- 
Dan'l Danehy-Oakes, writer, trainer, bon vivant
-----
http://www.livejournal.com/users/sturgeonslawyer
http://www.danehyoakes.com
Soon, where Toon Town once stood will be a string of gas stations,
inexpensive motels, restaurants that serve rapidly prepared food. Tire
salons, automobile dealerships and wonderful, wonderful billboards
reaching as far as the eye can see. My God, it'll be beautiful.